School… the word brings to mind rows of desks, tests, recess, and homework! But in the case of the Home School’d Podcast, it conjures up fun ideas, projects, and how-to’s for your home.
Co-hosts Aaron Massey and Tracy Pendergast bring their combined talent, know-how, and love of DIY together to educate today’s homeowners on every aspect of their abode—from the humble to “not-so-humble.” Topics range from buying a home to creating a first-class movie theater to living a sustainable lifestyle, and literally everything in between.
The Home School’d Podcast is different in many ways. One of those ways is in how they carry the “schooled” theme throughout the show. The addition of the “Study Hall” episodes is cleverly brilliant. In these follow-ups, they put the previous guest’s expertise to practice or provide further insight into how the information shared can be used by everyday homeowners.
For example, in one episode, they interviewed a couple who started AirBNBing and now own several properties for short-term rental. In the accompanying “Study Hall,” Aaron and Tracy discussed the pros and cons of the AirBNB business, highlighting and reviewing key points from the previous episode. They do this with most of the teaching episodes, and it really works to bring the lessons home.
Home School’d is less than a year old, but Aaron and Tracy have previous podcasting history. Not only have they worked together on a different podcast owned by a network, but their friendship a
nd work history go back even further.
Aaron has had a successful DIY YouTube channel for years (named “DiY,” natch). Tracy was a successful commercial actress in Los Angeles prior to starting her family. Meeting through a friend of Aaron’s wife, the match was perfect. They did several videos together through the years and remained friends when not on camera.
Aaron’s love of DIY started at a young age as he worked alongside his realtor dad on investment properties doing repairs. After graduation, Aaron moved to Los Angeles, where he started working in the TV production industry—most notably on location with Survivor for several seasons and other adventure shows. Later, he realized he could combine both of his worlds by producing DIY videos for YouTube.
During this time, Tracy and her husband were starting their family. Tracy discovered that being an actress while pregnant was “not happening,” and she missed the creative outlet. She nurtured her creative side by nesting and realized that it was a great creative expression for her. She started making videos about what she was doing and how, and they were well-received. Ultimately, it became a full-time brand and passion for her.
Later, Aaron started looking for a co-host for his upcoming podcast, because he didn’t want to host alone (he doesn’t like to hear himself talk that much!). He wanted someone he could talk and have fun with, and thought a female could offer a different perspective. He reflected on the work he had done with Tracy before, and the two teamed up. When that podcast came to an end, the pair started planning their own show—with their own voices and visions.
At the time, they were both renovating their homes, too, so the partnership and new podcast came naturally. They decided early on that their platform would be to educate their audience in all manners of homeownership. The goal? To speak to homeowners no matter their type of home—and there are many. From the van lifestyle to tiny homes to mansions, most homes have some commonalities. But no matter what, in each and every lifestyle, home is home.
Aaron and Tracy also recognize that ability levels are not the same. Part of educating their audience includes enabling them to decide whether a project is a DIY, or if professionals should be called in. And if listeners do call in help, they take their education a step further to ensure they have the knowledge to make informed decisions about how they hire.
Another benefit of renovating their own homes is that these co-hosts bring in professionals they need to learn from, too, so they are their own ideal audience! They ask the questions they know their listeners would like to know the answers to, as well. Tracy says, “We are the eyes and the ears of our listeners from a student standpoint.”
“We will take passion and knowledge about a subject over flash,” added Aaron. “We want guests who are fun to listen to and knowledgeable—that’s what keeps the audience’s attention.”
Tracy agrees. “We want our guests to shine. We want them to TEACH, not just talk about themselves. We genuinely care for our guests and have a vested interest in their success.”
As the podcast moves into its next semester, Aaron and Tracy’s goal is to have an evergreen resource library of shows for homeowners. Ultimately, it will have different stages—or grades of experience needed—kindergarten to MBA to guide a person’s selection of episodes.
They also have a shared goal of showing the next generation that DIY is achievable… and they can watch their parents role model that success.
“If you have a home,” Aaron said, “ultimately, you are going to be faced with a task you don’t know how to do. We want to prepare you for it, whether you can do it yourself or you need to hire it out.”
Tracy wants to “encourage people to stop and think about whether the task is something they can learn and explore what they’re capable of.”
“Every day is a school day,” she said. “Just because we are adults doesn’t mean we have to stop learning.”
The bell is ringing… are you ready for today’s homework?
Go listen and learn from Aaron and Tracy! Then, find a home project for you and your family.
Class dismissed.
